Sore or injured back, how do you cope in boats?

[Chimo]

Hi All

NB #The Poll allows for multiple choice :) #Its not one answer only...............people with back #problems don't usually just do one thing..................same with the poll .................you can indicate more than one thing. #Thanks.

With all the discussion about suspension seats and shock absorbing pedestals and having gone through the pain of a back injury it seems appropriate to ask if there are other Ausfishers with similar issues.

I went thru a period after I did mine with sciatic nerve pin and back pain etc when I thought, for a short time, about not hanging around if this was how it was going to be from now on.

Anyhoooo a crook back does give you a greater appreciation of the wife's comments while carrying children :D

What did you do to get over your pain / #injury and be able to keep boating?

How do you cope with rough water and banging up and down in swells and chop etc?

Did you change boats or do other things?

If you kept the boat, what have you done to your seating etc to make it more acceptable and comfortable for your back?

Do you take a few days, with some time on a flat floor etc, to recover from a rough trip? (I'm not refering to drugs or booze here either) ;D

To be fair and to include the fairer sex, who also may have back issues #but may have other messages and advice to share; as an aside
How do you get reluctant females out in boats both in sheltered waters and perhaps even offshore?
back to the subject, I drifted off there for a second but I don't want to lose the chance to ask. More relevant to rough water, Is the sports bra thing an issue or just a figment of advertisers imagination? #

Well there you have it. # ::)

Hopefully the poll will be of interest and so too will be the comments and advice that readers will be able to share.

Thanks for your interest

Cheers

Chimo

PS # I have posted this link before;
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/11/27/sit-posture.html
but if you have not seen it, it may be some interest. #
If you don't have a crook back it gives advice about not getting one and if you already do have a problem I found the concept useful and still do and have used to idea for the last four years or so.

[Dodgy_Back]

Mate your poll needs to be a multiple choice.

I did theses things to keep fishing.

1.Go in smooth weather (never off shore)
2.Travel slower
3.got a shock absorbing pedestal
4.Have done core stabilty training
5. Had 2 surguries.
6. wear a back brace( very uncomfortable but a good help)
7. exercise program, mainly stretches and things.
8. and I,ve actually asked blokes to slow down for me when in thier boats.

all combined do help, but the main thing is to be careful of what you do !!

Before I go in the boat I take precautionary pain killers and then keep them up while fishing and then for the next day.

Having a bad back sucks big time and living with it can be pretty tough at times.

I will keep fishing as it keeps me sane.
Some might say that it has'nt worked ;)

Mick

[blaze]

I find the best for me is to stand up and take it in the knees.
Just to add a bit more
My injuries consist of cracked tailbone and semi ruptured discs in lower back (seperate incidence)
Sitting can be painful with the tailbone damage and bending painful with the discs, tend to put up with the pain and just lay prone when it gets to bad, the pain tells me when to stop.
Tend not to go out when its rougher.
This has been done before and there was some good solutions and ideas, someone may have savedthe link
cheers
blaze

[fishingjew]

DONT go in tinnys or pressed alloy hulls ;) last time took two weeks to recover never again :-/ Im with blaze stand up and take it in the knees i find it is the best

[DaMaGe]

Keep up the comments, my dad has a back injury and he is in bed up to a week after a fishing trip as my deckie, in and around the top inside of Moreton Bay (around Bulwer) - I go as easy as I can, and he has the padded seat however he still suffers.

[jackster]

it finished up i had to buy a new boat, but..........
slow down and then slow down some more
rear console, never ride in a cuddy
stand with bent knees, so shock absorbing

lower back braise while on boat, to stop micro movement of spine, only time i use it...weakens if all the time
sell your deep v, i dont like hurdy gurdy rides anymore at anchor
skinny and stable does me fine :)

anchor from the winch eye, get the rode as low as possible...put in another eye
with the anchor ..run a rope from midships to make a bridle so you keep straight into waves

for seating i use a plastic outdoor setting, bbq chair, i find that the best

[manchild]

I use a weightlifter belt when on the way in rough conditions .Works well for me.
cheers
George
Im also standing up like Blaze

[maztez]

Bad back and knees :'( however I still go out with my son Brett (Brejen) in our MISTRESS . If its rough I stand for as long as I can then sit aft and ride it out .I tend to do the same if Im outside with Gawby.Some trips see me sore for a week after BUT the pain I can put up with .Dont miss a chance to get offshore and get amongst em . ;D
cheers Terry

[TonyOW31]

Had two back operations when I had a tinny, got rid and bought a bigger glass boat, but still suffered for weeks after an offshore trip, had suspension seats and I didn't think they worked very well.
I always take a deckie with me, and if the trip back gets too bad he drives and I lie down in the cabin because if I take too much of a pounding I lose the feeling in my leg and foot.
Always take painkillers before a trip, and keep them up during the time out on the water, and hit the grog as soon as I get home.
Sold that boat and bought an even bigger one, and it is heaps better, can spend more time on the water, and go further because of the increased speed I can handle. Who says size doesn't matter :) I am now only wrecked for a few days after a trip.
Will probably get an even bigger boat when I can afford it, seems the bigger the boat, the smoother the ride.

[petelaska]

My old man used to sit down the back of the boat near the motor for the softest ride.
If the brothers or I went to fast he would throw something at us.
(We couldn't hear him yelling over the noise).
Jeese we used to laugh about it
Peter.

[soulfish]

my old man used to go to the choiropracter after every trip offshore which wasn't very often.now i have a noosacat i can"t keep him out of the boat.magic carpet ride

[marlinqld]

I prefer to drive standing up so you can absorb alot through the knees.

and just pull back on the throttle to suit the conditions and make it more comfortable.


Mike

[Shanoss]

I alternate between standing up and sitting on the front edge of the seat. Have been giving these "foam wedges" some thought as they seem to be the way to go to keep the back straight..
but the best way to save the back is to buuy a haines hunter ;)

[Synergy]

I can commiserate with all of these comments having had 2 back operations myself, I could say the best thing to do is buy a Signature but that wouldn't be quite true. I still go offshore but do try and pick the weather, until I get desperate. I always stand when underway unless it is like a mirror, come to think of it even then I still do as you get a much better view. I can see myself getting an anchor winch in the future as my son is already joking about building a ramp up to the foredeck so I can get my wheelchair up there [caring type of a lad eh]
I do suffer a few days after a trip but if I take it very carefully for the next few days I can get away with it. It usually takes a few days to get the boat cleaned up and back into a condition ready for the next trip.
A few beers on the way home is not a bad thing as long as the young fella drives [he is 24 so please don't think badly of this]. We did a trip last week of some 130 nms all offshore in about 1 to 1.2 m seas and up to 18 knots of wind and I felt OK after the trip, the next day was a do nothing day and then started to tidy up a bit on the following day. After a bit of work fair enough I bent over to pick up something and whammo! muscle spasm like you wouldn't believe. a hot shower a few pain killers and the rest of the day flat out. I'm glad I work 4 on 4 off.
Having a four stroke on the back has helped as I have found that I can travel much slower in rough water with all that torque up my sleeve and the boat not wanting to jump out of the water, also the fuel economy doesn't suffer too much as well.
PJ

[Noelm]

get a Cat if you can afford it, the harshness of the ride is far better than some of the perceived negatives of a cat hull,

[stevedemon]

Hi all
well i join the bad back fisho's 7 yrs ago with degenerative disc disease with 9 disc that have no fluid in them and a siatic nerve gone
you learn to put up with pain and the fact that i already had a high tolerence to pain but over the years i just take things a little slower than usual
pain killers panadine forte
a good struddie seat a good thick foam pillow
and take between standing a sitting when possible

will not let a quack any where near my back as they only make things worse #:-X #:'( :( >:(:-X #

have had a couple of mates with fused disc's an still can not do thing i do due to the operations 1 has had 7 op's and is house bound
and has very limited movability

but i will not let it stop me from doing most things particuarily fishing

Cheers ;D ;D
Steve #8-) 8-)

Merry Xmas to all and to all a good New Year :) :) :) :) :) :)

[murf]

Hi Chimo

I have a bad neck (roof fall in an underground coal mine)as well as a bad back. The back is just a pain and the left leg goes numb down to the toes but bearable, unless I start lifting big cod around in boat, see post http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1165187474/0.

My neck is the problem with nerve damage between C2 and C3 I think??? Memory is bad these days cause of the headaches. The more I move the more it hurts until I go into what I call GaGa land. Sort of like being drunk without the good feeling. Gave up all pain killers 3 years ago after 10 years full time on them. Still keep some close by for after a big day just in case. I can not give up the anti inflams though! I am now fully retired and do what I can with the young family but fishing is still my passion.

The way I set up for a deep sea fish is to rest for the day before to get pain levels down (no mowing lawns etc). then have up to 8hrs of fishing trip followed by a couple of stiff Murfs Moonshine and dry ginge to knock the edge of the pain then about 2 days rest to get over it. The brain don’t work so well for a couple of days after so I just putter about doing small maintenance jobs between lay downs.

I was after a rear side console boat but the C/C came up at the right price, its better than being up the front in a forward steer boat and better than twisting with a tiller steer. I stand whilst travelling to take the shock out of the slams of the tinny. Funny how when ever you look around to see how things are going you launch of the biggest wave of the day and hurt all the sore bits (Murphy law).

I stand in my Crocs and have a foam pad to stand on, this helps heaps.

I find it easier to fish D/S than land based or up the river in the little tinny. The movement although wearing me out stops me from locking up into spasm,

I also fish close within a 10km radius usually about 7km run each way and pick the calm days. There has to be some good fishing to stay out when the wind picks up.

Get the deckies to do all the manual work or the skip if I am out with someone else (I can and will do the work if required but all the skips I go with are great and tell me to do the easy stuff) its all good.

I am getting out about once a week on average, any more and I drink too much of Murfs Moonshine to keep going.

Fishing (including preparation, cleaning equipment and maintenence) beats moping around the the house feeling sorry for ones self.

its all good
Cheers Murf

[davo]

After a work related injury I have a stuffed neck. My answer is easy. after a ride in a Fisher platey I bought one and the only pain is from the mates Quinny.

[Chimo]

Hi Guys

Your replies sure make for informative reading.

There were obviously a lot of other options that could have been included in the poll but there is a limit to the no. of questions one can ask.

I'm learning as we go along with this I hope its of benefit to others too.

Writing of your own experiences and suggestions is very useful too

Thanks for your interest so far......

Cheers

Chimo

[Reef_fisher]

After several work related injuries (who said being in the military was good for you) I have had one back operation which made problem worse, Three right shoulder reconstructions, right knee reconstruction, a stuffed ankle, and because of the spine problems I also suffer migraines. Short of ending it all I go fishing when I can afford and when conditions are reasonable.

I have a 4.5m c/c with a 50 oil burner. I have 30klm to inner reef and 40klm to outer reef. The conditions have to be reasonable, I stand knees bent which my knee doesn't like but lesser the two evils. I don't have a seat, don't have room. I use an esky. Should have seen the look on the salesmens face when he asked what size I was after and I replied bring em out so I can sit on em. Got one the right height for sitting for long periods.

Despite having all the gear us cripples have(Tens machine,brace,heat packs,drugs and yes sometimes morphine) I don't usually use it untill I crack a tooth bearing down under the pain.( Must be the tuff man syndrome)I take 2-3 days to recover which is how long it takes to get the tub ready to go again(I am a little fussy with my gear)

I have no doubt that a bigger less rough riding boat would help, but, can't justify the expence on a maybe. Doesn't stop me going in the old banger though. Got to have fun when you can. Must try some of the hints suggested here.

Chin up everyone the bad days may outweigh the good, but the good days are usually great.

[Poodroo]

I have a ruptured L5 disc and initially it caused me no end of grief but seems to have settled down heaps thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I am sure it will haunt me again in the future but for now what pain does exist I grit my teeth when I hit waves and just put up with it. I am not going to let my back slow me down too much from doing what I love. Not yet anyway.

Poodroo

[BrewGuru]

I can fix all that!!
Buy an old tub 8 knots 20+ ton ....best ride you will ever have, I got rid of my fast bone jarring rigs.

[snelly1971]

Answer to the problem is easy......BUY A TRI HULL


Mick

[CharlieH]

I have a ruptured L5 disc and initially it caused me no end of grief but seems to have settled down heaps thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I am sure it will haunt me again in the future but for now what pain does exist I grit my teeth when I hit waves and just put up with it. I am not going to let my back slow me down too much from doing what I love. Not yet anyway.

Poodroo


I have a ruptured disc also. Some days it can be pretty damn painful (just getting up from a chair or something my legs will feel weak and I'll almost fall or will fall if I don't catch something). Other days it's sweet though. Mine generally feels better if I've been doing a lot of moving around and feels worse if it's not active at all for periods of time. I've never had a problem in a boat that I can recall though.

Brufen seems to do it wonders for a few hours so if it's feeling bad before I have to head out and do something (fishing, shopping etc) I'll just pop a couple of them.

[charleville]

I am lucky enough to not suffer any back problems but being a super-sized guy, I do feel some discomfort in my tinnie runabout if pounding through lumpy conditions. Big guys often do feel the bumps quite hard in boats.

I have found it useful to stand on a couple of kneeling pads that you get in the gardening sections of Bunnings or Big W. They cost about $3.50 at Bunnings and come in a single green colour or about $2 or less at Big W in a couple of brighter colours.

They are thickish rubber, about twice the thickness of a rubber thong and quite firm. When standing on them with my heels they cushion the bumps very well. It just happens that at the helm in my Quinnie, the floor is a sunken floor a little below the rear deck floor and the kneeling pads wedge up against the little wall adjoining the sunken deck to the rear deck and don't move of their own accord.

They won't solve major problems but they do add a pleasantly noticeable degree of ride comfort.


.

[Getout]

I have a ruptured L5 disc and initially it caused me no end of grief but seems to have settled down heaps thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. I am sure it will haunt me again in the future but for now what pain does exist I grit my teeth when I hit waves and just put up with it. I am not going to let my back slow me down too much from doing what I love. Not yet anyway.

Poodroo

Same for me. I avoid really rough weather and I stand in crocs while driving. A couple of Celebrex when I get home makes the pain and stiffness go away eventually.
I actually suffer more back problems from pulling up really big fish. The leverage on the lower back is a real killer!
Luckily I don't do that very often;D

When I first hurt my back, lots of people said that I should give away lots of things I love doing. Glad I didn't. It is bearable.

[wags on the water]

I think the key to having a good ride is don't drive it like you stole it.;) If the weather should happen to turn (whilst enjoying the hot bite period) take your time and be sensible. There seems to be a lot of us with the dodgy back feature and I'm never seated when travelling to and from spots, even when I'm not the driver. :brood:

What I'm hoping for this year is that bl**dy santa to deliver my glass boat.;D

[PWCDad]

As far as Celebrex goes I took them for 4 yrs because of bad back pain.

I have a ruptured disc C5-C6, have degenerative Schuermann's Disease of Thoracic area and a lumbar disc that is 15mm out of alignment. The joys of football, Ice Hockey and motocross when younger huh !!

I have not taken Celebrex for over 2 yrs !!! It has been replaced by plain old fish oil tablets from Coles. I take two a day before bed. They cant hurt and are also good for the bad cholesterol in the arteries.

Try it for 3 months and see if it helps ??? Cant hurt ! My wife stands at a table for 3 hrs a day looking down and has a very average neck from 20 yrs of it ... she takes the fish oil capsules as well. Neck improved markedly ... she then stopped as a trial and bad neck returned ... she is back on them for good now.

I have not had surgery but my ortho specialist is ready anytime .... he did say I'll operate when you come in screaming in a wheelchair only ... as the op he will perform only has a 30 % success rate.

I DO RIDE A PWC though .... he freaked out of course but I dont ride surf and use a Cruiser ski with a big gel seat.

Last visit to the ortho guy he noticed that my neck has a larger range of left right (still limited but much improved)and we attribute this to the PWC by way of looking further left/right than in a boat and more often. I do no physio at all, he said to stay away from any manipulation as it may be dangerous. I have been on ski for 3 yrs now and way over 300 motor hours.

I think the message is use your injured spine as best you can or lose it ... listen to your body with pain the the signal to ease up a bit. Surgery is last resort for me and the ortho.

I do grin and bear it as well sometimes but the look on my young kids faces when they play around or in the water is like a morphine shot .....

Try the fish oil .... it may work for you and is not expensive ... I pay about $30 at Coles for 400 tabs.

Regards
PWCDad

[AussieBrad]

I can fix all that!!
Buy an old tub 8 knots 20+ ton ....best ride you will ever have, I got rid of my fast bone jarring rigs.


here here!

[Rodman]

Hi Guys

I solved my back problem by buying a tube from clark rubber and sit on that.

Ken

[black runner]

Hi All,

I found putting 50litres of water up front has softened the ride of my stacer 460 without upsetting the trim. However you must be careful not to overload.

Just need to drive to the conditions.

Does anybody have the gas strut pedestal and if so, do they make much of a difference. My wife suffers from a bad back and thought it might help.

Cheers - Fred

[Chimo]

Hi Fred

Looked into gas struts and did so by checking second hand boats that had them and found most were no longer working. My conclusion was that they are not durable enough to bother with.

Looked at proper suspension seating and this seems worthwhile especially if you have a nice dry cabin as they rust and the plain steel ones cost a mint and I dont know if ss exists and if so how much. Conclusion if I had a dry enough cabin the boat would probably ride well enough that I would not need a suspension seat.

Standing helps as does standing on soft rubber or similar.

I also find that I can sit if I use a foam wedge like you can get from Foam World. It allows you to do a combined stand and sit but with your weight not all going up your tail bone but being shared between there and your feet.

Had a mate with a stacer and the most comfortable place to travel was as far back as possible, preferably just about leaning against the motor....... so you just need to get the deckie to drive and you can get ready to drop the lines at the next spot! Maybe you need a double seat back by the motor for the two of you and some remote controls!

Cheers
Chimo

Chimo

[manchild]

When i injured my back it was keeping me off the water ,till i put a gymbelt on .The like that weightlifters use.
George

[black runner]

Thanks Chimo,

To answer some of your other questions:

If I am going out with the family, I make sure the weather is suitable and in summer make sure we're out early and coming back before or with the sea breeze. Autumn and winter this is less of an issue down here. I also see where the weather is tipped to be coming from throughout the day and plan trips around the lee of the land. I also pick my launch sites with regard to the forcast.

Alternatively daylight savings gives us light well past 9pm in Dec/Jan so you can stay out around sheltered areas and come back once the sea breeze has died out. Fantastic part of the day.

My youngest daughter (15) doesn't care if its rough or not, after a quick fish, swim and a dose of salt air she lies on the floor like its the deck of the QE2 and goes to sleep.

My wife does find sitting on the rear lounge a huge improvement if we end up having to negotiate that crappy closely spaced steep chop. Might just need to knock up a higher removable back rest.

Main thing is the boat is safe, beamy and stable at rest.

Cheers - Fred

[jimbo59]

I stuffed my back up after running up the @rse of a semi racing a xy gt coming back from the gold coast, back when you had to take cut lunch with ya to get home.I had a formula and now i got a sharkcat 560.What makes my back cane is shopping with the missus,washing-up or pulling a motor out of a car.But if you sit down the back of the boat its better on ya back. cheers jim

[death_ship]

gotta disagree
i have softrider pedestals, they are bloody awesome and each part replaceable, had to replace a strut in one seat (after a lot of use)and they sent me out a new one free. not much more money than a standard pedestal with the bonus of height adjustment to get you over the screen. takes the sting out of the bay chop and i rarely stand up when driving.

[Chimo]

Hi death_ship

Good to hear that they are fixable and that you are happy with them.

As I said I did my assessment based on a number of boats in a number of boat yards and it appears to be shame that either boats are not maintained by owners, especially if they are to be sold; or dealers don't prepare things for sale.

It does however, give an indication of both the durability of these units and the slackness of some people!

Cheers
Chimo

[rustymarlin]

I dont know if anyone has posted this but we use the flat fenders that you can get at a boat shop the are made out of a material like role out camping matresses and about 40mm thick you put it on the floor of the boat where you stand and it reduces the jarring to your back by a great deal just be carefull they can get slippery when they get wet . The other useful device we have found is an all weather bean bag you sit in it while traveling . You do what you have to to get out there fishing weve found both these work really well.

Rusty